By Keith Walsh
Since the 2000s, the convenience and processing power of personal computers helped create a new iteration of electronic music artists. These new players have the benefit of being able to look back at three or more decades of progress in technology and artistry. If Stacey Q has a musical descendant, it might be Singapore’s Mei Wong, aka The Analog Girl.
I feel fortunate that Mei took the time to answer my queries about how the COVID-19 crisis has affected her, creatively and personally, and am happy to hear that she’s adapting well to the changes.
So, how has the lockdown affected your creative routines? It has brought about more focus as social gatherings are cancelled and I have more uninterrupted time in my home studio. I am currently mixing songs from my upcoming album, so no better time than this to lock the mixes down – which can always take a while as I go back and forth with my mixes countless times.
How about any changed tours or performances? I haven’t got anything locked down for this period previously, so it hasn’t been particularly devastating. Although, I am releasing a new album later this year and I was planning on working on some dates at festivals and such. Still, I am enjoying the streaming of live music from homes around the globe, and am hooked on both Boiler Room and Isol-Aid Festival, the latter runs every weekend and showcases mainly musicians from Australia. I love seeing the home setups of DJs and musicians.
What’s the mood like in Singapore right now? We are having what is termed as a Circuit Breaker period, a.k.a. a partial lockdown, where everyone is encouraged to stay home, mandatory to wear masks when outside, keep a safe distance, and only essential stores are open. Given the mall culture in Singapore, Singaporean families tend to be a bit restless when malls are shut. They also tend to get more cabin fever given that the whole of Singapore is essentially an island city so homes are generally smaller in size, hence I am seeing more Singaporeans out jogging or cycling, which I think is a good thing and quite the opposite of how you’d imagine a lockdown situation would affect one’s physical well-being.
What are you looking forward to most after this thing is cured? Not optimistic for a cure as with most viral influenzas, but am optimistic that we can all do our part in helping to flatten the curve. Things are not going to go back to how things were before Covid-19, and that is not a bad thing entirely. I am glad some of us have the chance to leave their office desks, take pause, and explore their interests. The environmental effects of us locking down and slowing down are also significantly encouraging that if we needed to or wanted to, we can help save planet Earth. And the thing I look forward to most after this is for everyone is come out of this experience strong, united and kinder to one another.
